The year was 1999 in Morioh, Japan. Things had mostly gone back to normal during autumn. However, even though Yoshikage Kira is gone, he had still affected many people in this town. Many families still waited for their loved ones to return, unaware of their unfortunate demise. Despite the serial killer's end, there are still those who wish to harm the residents of Morioh. And now, with Jotaro and Joseph gone back to their lives elsewhere, it is up to Josuke to protect his town.
"Hey! Rohan!" the 'town protector' yelled cheerfully as he ran up to the manga artist.
Rohan sneered as he heard his name being called by the kid that burned down half his house. He still wanted to get revenge on him somehow for that and for cheating in the game they were playing during the fire. He then turned around and said, "Ah, Josuke. What do you want? And where's Okuyasu?"
Josuke ran up next to him to walk with him, slightly out of breath. "Okuyasu wasn't ready yet so I went on without him, and I jus-"
He paused and blinked. Rohan did the same as they looked at each other in silence.
After a moment, the manga artist asked, "What happened? What have you done?"
"What have I- What? I… I don't…" Josuke stuttered, clutching his head.
"In the school, what happened?"
Josuke looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "… How did-?"
"I was waiting outside when Koichi and the others ran in."
"Why didn't you just come in?"
"I'm an adult. What reason would there be for an adult with no direct relations to enter a high school?"
Josuke nodded slightly in understanding. "Well… Monika… she…"
"She was the user? … Was she the club president?"
"Yeah…"
"What was the Stand? What did it do?"
"Uh… I think it was Lana Del Rey. It could amplify certain parts of someone's mind."
"Amplify…? How? Explain."
"Dammit, Rohan!" Josuke snapped. "I don't know everything! All I know is that-"
"Josukeeeee!" a voice called out.
He froze and looked behind him, only to be tackled into a hug by a figure. The figure was much smaller than him and appeared to be a girl. She had a large red bow in her short orangey-brown hair and wore a rather small unbuttoned blazer. Josuke looked down in surprise when he realized who was hugging him.
Sayori…
Rohan looked shocked as Josuke hugged her back.
"S-Sayori… You're okay!" he yelled in joy.
"Yep!" she giggled. "Thank you, Josuke!"
The taller high schooler blinked.
"… 'Thank'? What did I do?" he asked.
"You stopped her. You stopped Monika."
All their memories of the past two weeks came flooding back to them. Rohan went over to pick up a newspaper on the ground of a nearby house and checked the date.
"Josuke…" he started. "It's…"
The two stopped hugging and looked at him in confusion.
"What? What's wrong?" Josuke asked.
"The date. It's… two weeks ago."
"WHAT?!" he screamed.
Rohan dropped the newspaper and looked at the boy.
He asked in a stern voice, "Higashikata, what happened there?"
"I… I don't-"
"HEY!" another voiced called out behind them, appearing to be out of breath. "It's two weeks ago! Do any of you know what ha-?"
The voice belonged to none other than Okuyasu, who froze as soon as he saw the girl standing with them. His mouth hung open in shock, breathing heavily from running all the way from his house.
"You're…" he muttered. "You're okay…"
Sayori smiled brightly. "Yeah. I guess I have you to thank also, Okuyasu."
Okuyasu blushed slightly. Suddenly the school bell rung.
"AH!" Sayori screamed. "Come on, guys! We're gonna be late!"
The two high school boys blinked before beginning to run to the school.
"R-Right!" Josuke said before he looked back to Rohan. "Meet me here after school. I'll tell you the rest later."
And with that, the three of them ran off the school, leaving the manga artist by himself again.
He sighed, face-palming. "I suppose that means that I have to buy groceries again… And rewrite my manga…" He gritted his teeth. "AGAIN, Higashikata."
"Huff… huff… made it…" Sayori panted as they entered the school.
The halls were mostly empty as everyone had already gone to their first class.
Josuke looked at her, hands on his knees, and said, "We… We should… talk about this later. How about after… school?"
She and Okuyasu nodded in agreement. Josuke told Sayori to get the others and meet at a certain restaurant near the edge of town after he got Natsuki's address from her. She then went her separate way to her first class.
As the two Stand users made their way to class, one of them began to chuckle.
Josuke looked at him, confused. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I just thought…" Okuyasu began, smirking. "Since we remember what happened, or rather, what WILL happen… You know how we had taken a few tests and gone over the answers?"
A smirk now began to form on Josuke's face. "Oh yeah! We can ace the tests without even studying! Easy one hundred!"
They fist-bumped as they walked into the classroom.
"Remind me, why did you bring me here?" Rohan asked impatiently as he and Josuke stood in front of a house.
"I just need you to use Heaven's Door on this guy," Josuke said calmly.
Rohan sneered. "USE Heaven's Door? My Stand is not some common utility, unlike yours! I refuse. What do you even want me to write?"
"Rohan," Josuke said, looking at him dead in the eye. "This man beats his daughter and it has clearly affected her physical growth."
The manga artist took a step back, surprised to hear this. Even he had to admit, Josuke's intentions were almost noble. Going this far for a friend…
Rohan then sighed before asking, "And 'his daughter' was a member of the Literature Club, yes?"
The high schooler nodded as he knocked on the door. Banging and clinking could be heard from inside as they assumed someone was making their way to the front door. It opened, and standing in front of them was a man much taller than them both with a five o'clock shadow.
Josuke began to sweat nervously. Dang… This guy is a lot bigger than I thought.
He gulped before asking, "U-Um… Is your daughter Natsuki? About this tall, with pink hair…?"
The man looked at them angrily and spoke with a gruff voice. "So what if she is?"
Josuke looked to Rohan and nodded.
The manga artist sighed before activating his Stand. "Heaven's Door!"
The man standing in the doorway's face opened up like a book and he fell down on his back. Rohan kneeled by his face, pen at the ready.
"So, what should I write?" he asked.
"Just make sure he never even thinks about hurting Natsuki," Josuke said coldly.
Rohan then wrote, 'Will never harm my daughter, Natsuki' before pausing. After looking inside the house to see trash and empty bottles everywhere, he then added, 'Will clean up my house.' Rohan stood up and went back to standing next to Josuke as Natsuki's father's face closed. The man slowly sat up and clutched his head.
"Ah…" he grumbled, getting to his feet with the help of the door frame. "I don't care what you're selling. I'm not buying. Now if you excuse me, I have some housecleaning to do."
The man slammed the door in the Stand users' faces. They turned around and began to head for the restaurant. Josuke looked at Rohan and smiled.
"Thanks, Rohan."
"Hmph. You still owe me for my house."
Josuke's mouth hung open wide. "Whaaat? I think if anything, you owed me! If it wasn't for you messing with me, we wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess!"
"Well, you shouldn't have acted so oblivious during that game!"
"You didn't have to put me in this traumatic situation, though!"
The two of them argued as they eventually made their way to Trussardi's.
"So, you just… woke up?" Okuyasu asked.
"Yeah… But I do remember… You know…" Sayori sighed sadly.
Three of the Morioh Stand users and members of the Literature Club were sitting at a table in Tonio Trussardi's restaurant. All of them were looking down at the table, none of them really knowing what to say at that moment. Okuyasu had tried to start up some sort of conversation, but his confidence was severely limited due to the present three incredibly cute girls of the Literature Club.
Tonio Trussardi suddenly appeared with everyone's food. Everyone looked at what he had brought since none of them knew what they would be getting. All but Okuyasu complained about not getting to choose their meals when the chef had first appeared. Koichi, Sayori and Yuri were intrigued by the originality of the establishment's procedure, but Natsuki and Yukako seemed rather defiant to the idea.
They were mostly amazed by the presentation, but they were all secretly glad of the same thing. The silence between them was unsettling, and with their food arriving they now had something to do while they waited for the one who brought them all together.
A minute after, Josuke entered the restaurant with Rohan following. He noticed the cluster of his friends at a table near the corner. This might have been the largest table in the restaurant, but even so it only just managed to fit the extra chair brought in.
"Welcome back, sir," Tonio said, bowing slightly. "Shall I prepare something for you?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Oh, I would like a cappuccino though!" Josuke answered.
The chef nodded and turned to the manga artist. "And would you like anything today?"
Rohan shook his head. "No, thank you. I won't be here very long. I've got a plane to catch."
Koichi looked up at him. "Rohan, you're going away?"
"Correct! After listening to what Tonio has told me about Italy, I have decided to visit there myself. I'm going to study its culture in person and possibly use that as inspiration for my manga."
Natsuki perked up, quickly swallowing her mouthful of spaghetti. She spoke in an uncharacteristically nervous tone when she asked, "A-Are you… THE Rohan Kishibe?"
Rohan looked at her and thought to himself. This must be Natsuki, the girl whose father… Right.
"Yes I am!" he stated proudly.
The Stand users groaned while Natsuki beamed, the other two girls looking at each other confused.
"I-I'm a huge fan of your work!"
"You're welcome."
She raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What for? I haven't even thanked you for anything yet."
"You'll understand it eventually."
Natsuki looked at Josuke, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Hang on, Rohan," Okuyasu started. "You didn't go to Italy two weeks ago…"
Rohan sighed. "I just want a break from you imbeciles. I had finally rewritten most of the manga that I had lost in the fire, but then whatever just happened HAPPENED! You all can tell me about it in detail later. Farewell."
He then left the restaurant to pack for his trip. He also had to drive to the airport in S City where his flight departed.
Josuke sat down as Tonio poured him a glass of water. Once the chef had walked off, Natsuki piped up.
"Okay, is it just me, or does everyone else feel REALLY good?"
All but Josuke nodded.
"That's why this restaurant is so great!" Okuyasu exclaimed. "His Stand makes the food he prepares have healing properties for those who eat it."
The girls looked at him in confusion while the other Stand users cringed.
"His… 'Stand'?" Yuri asked.
Josuke sighed, "Yeah… I suppose that I should give an explanation."
He looked around the table at everyone, but he did a double-take when he noticed that they were missing one.
"Hang on, where's Monika?" he asked. "I didn't see her at school today."
The club members looked despondent.
"Does anyone know where she is?" Josuke asked again.
They shook their heads.
"Josuke…" Sayori began. "Why... Why did she do it? H-How did she do it?"
He blinked before answering, "I… Well, I know for sure that she was a Stand user."
"And what exactly IS a 'Stand user'?" Natsuki interrupted before pausing to think. "… Are you a Stand user, Josuke?"
The Stand users looked surprised.
"I remember what happened. That Sunday when I went over to your place, you… did something to my injuries, didn't you? Same with that first Wednesday"
Josuke paused for a moment. Then he took Okuyasu's empty glass and threw it on the ground, shattering it. Everyone jumped in surprise.
"J-Josuke! Why would you do that?!" Sayori asked him, incredulously.
The Joestar descendant then picked up one of the glass pieces and said, "Crazy Diamond."
Josuke's Stand began to use its power on the piece of glass, making the other pieces float up and restoring it to how it was before he threw it. The three girls looked at the glass in disbelief.
"… How did…?" Yuri muttered, dumbfounded.
"You're right, Natsuki. I am a Stand user, and I've named it Crazy Diamond," Josuke stated calmly, placing the glass back on the table.
"H-Hey," Koichi whispered to his friend. "Should we really be telling them about this?"
"Koichi, they've all been affected by a Stand. They deserve an explanation about what happened. It won't exactly do any harm."
The boy in the green uniform hesitantly nodded then sat back in his seat.
Josuke continued, "Every person has a different Stand, and each Stand has a different ability. For example, Crazy Diamond has the ability to fix things. It can repair a broken glass and even heal someone's wounds, although I cannot use it on myself."
Yuri looked at the unfamiliar faces. "So… You're Stand users too?"
Then Koichi and Okuyasu nodded hesitantly. Tonio began to approach the group.
"Excuse me, sir. While I am aware that you can... repair broken things, could you please refrain from doing that again?" he asked politely.
Josuke replied, "O-Of course. Sorry."
Tonio then walked off and went back into the kitchen.
Sayori pointed in the chef's direction and asked, "So is he, right?"
"Yeah," Okuyasu confirmed. "But Pearl Jam doesn't make the food taste good. That's just Tonio's amazing cooking skills!"
"And… you?" Natsuki asked, pointing at Koichi. "What can you do?"
"Uh… I kind of have three different abilities, but I usually use the one that makes things feel really heavy. That's Echoes Act 3," he answered nervously.
It was his first time meeting two of these girls, and he had just now explained what his Stand does to them.
Yuri's gaze then focused on Yukako. "… You too?"
"… Yeah," she answered, looking down on the table. There was a moment of silence before Yukako added, "Love Deluxe… I-It's my hair."
The three club members jumped in surprise as her hair began to rise on its own. Sayori then nervously looked at Okuyasu in the eye, silently asking him to speak as well.
He squirmed in his seat before muttering, "The Hand. Its right hand can scrape something out of existence, but I have no idea where it ends up…"
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "… Was that you? When my… knife disappeared…?"
He nodded. "Yeah…"
She looked back down and shuddered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "E-Everyone…?"
They all looked at her, making her feel even more embarrassed.
"I… I just want to say… I'm sorry. I… I don't know what came over me last week, or… whenever. The time that I…"
Yuri began crying softly, covering her face with her hands. Yukako, who was sitting next to her, tried to comfort her by rubbing her back. To her surprise, her hand was swatted away.
"Don't touch me!" Yuri wailed. "I… I'm a monster... I hurt you all."
Sayori slowly turned to Okuyasu and silently asked if that was true. He closed his eyes and nodded his head, remembering the pain he felt from being stabbed in the legs.
Yuri continued, her voice wavering, "I c-can't… control myself anymore. I… I shouldn't be here."
"Yuri, it's alright," Yukako said calmly. "I… I forgive you."
"Yeah!" Natsuki added. "It doesn't really matter anymore anyway..."
"It wasn't your fault," Josuke added.
"How could it not be?!" Yuri screamed. "If not me, then who?! Who else could be-?"
"Monika."
The girls froze and looked at him, Yuri's body still shivering as tears continued to flow.
"It was all Monika. Just Monika," he explained. "Your actions… all of you… Everything that you had done since I joined, it was Monika."
Natsuki sat wide-eyed before she nervously asked, "… Was… Was she a… you know…?"
Josuke nodded. "Her Stand was called Lana Del Rey."
The other boys looked at him. Neither of them had known what the enemy Stand was capable of.
"Monika said… its ability was mental amplification."
Okuyasu blinked. After a moment he asked, "What does that mean?"
Josuke looked down and sighed, "Honestly, I'm not too sure. When I was alone in the music room with her, she said it was able to amplify certain parts of someone's mind."
Yuri had mostly composed herself at this point. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her blazer.
"So, certain parts like what? Did she amplify something about me?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "She said that she amplified your instability, obsession with knives and honesty… which is probably why you said those crazy things."
Yuri put her head down on the table, clutching her head. The amount of regret she felt was beginning to hurt her physically.
"What about me?" Sayori piped up.
Josuke began to sweat nervously. He wasn't used to being the one to explain everything, which usually fell to either his dad or nephew when it came to Stands.
"She… amplified your depression. I believe that, mixed with what she told you, made you… do it."
Sayori put her hand to her chest and breathed in. It seemed like no one other than Josuke and Sayori understood what they were talking about.
"Um… I don't know if you remember what happened, but…" he paused to gulp. "I was… too late to save you, Sayori. Crazy Diamond couldn't..."
A pained expression crossed over Okuyasu and Koichi's faces. The girls looked at Josuke, confused. Sayori, though, looked at Josuke with an unidentifiable expression.
"O-Oh…" she muttered. "… Thank you, Josuke… At least you cared…"
Natsuki then decided to speak. "What do you mean you were too late? Did you get hurt?"
Sayori nervously began to look around while Josuke slightly grimaced.
"Um… Well, sort of. I… I… actually… h-hung myself...," Sayori trailed off, sinking into her seat.
Yuri and Natsuki gasped. Koichi, Okuyasu and Yukako looked at everyone the others at the table, concerned and somewhat alarmed.
"I probably know when Monika did it, too…" Josuke added.
They reluctantly looked at him.
"Her Stand somehow worked by playing the piano. You remember all of those days when Monika came to the club late, saying she was playing the piano?"
The club members' eyes widened, Yuri covering her mouth and Natsuki sinking into her seat.
"Why?" Koichi asked. "Why did she even do this?"
Josuke blinked. Great. It would sound pretty weird to say it was just because she had a crush on me, but…
"She… wanted to thank me for… helping defeat her brother, or half-brother…"
"Her… brother?" Natsuki asked. "I didn't know she had one. Did you guys know?"
She looked to her fellow club mates, who shook their heads.
"Thank you?!" Yuri said in disbelief. "H-How could ruining our lives just so she could 'thank you' be the only course of action? Why couldn't she just do it while you two were sharing poems?!"
Oh well. I might as well tell them the real reason.
"Sh-She said that she was... in love with me..." Josuke stated nervously.
The others looked surprised and confused. The club members seemed to be a bit saddened by this.
He continued, "But it all comes from her brother. She said that she loved me because I helped stop him, and I suppose... she didn't want anyone to get in her way."
Yuri and Sayori appeared to be somewhat frightened by this while Natsuki gritted her teeth and turned away.
"Who was her brother? Anyone we knew?" Okuyasu asked before drinking some water.
"Yoshikage Kira," Josuke said, staring at the center of the table.
The other Stand users flinched upon hearing that name, Okuyasu spitting out his drink.
"WHAT?! KIRA?! He had a sister?!" he yelled, water dripping onto his uniform.
The girls, save Yukako, didn't know what to make of this. None of them had ever heard of him, and neither have more than half the people in Morioh for that matter.
"Sh-should we know who that is?" Yuri asked nervously, slightly scared of the answer since it made her friend Yukako react the way she did.
There was a moment of silence before Koichi answered her, keeping his voice low.
"Yoshikage Kira was a serial killer here in Morioh."
Natsuki then, in an attempt to lighten up the mood, said jokingly, "W-Well, it's not like you actually knew him or anything…"
"Actually, we did, sort of..." he stated as he folded his arms.
The three non-Stand users looked at them, alarmed.
"He had killed numerous people over the course of fifteen years," Josuke started. "And he got away with it. Every. Single. Time. No witnesses, no weapons… no bodies."
The girls shivered just thinking about it. Although she was frightened by the idea of someone who had done that living in the same town as her, Yuri was still intrigued.
"H-How… How did he get away with it?" she hesitantly asked.
Josuke answered, "He was a Stand user with one of the most deadly abilities ever: it was able to turn anything it touched into a bomb."
Yuri covered her mouth. The thought of a person being able to do something so dangerous at will was both terrifying and interesting to her.
"So… Monika's brother was a… serial killer?" Natsuki asked.
Josuke said, "Yeah… But even she was afraid of him. She actually thanked me for helping defeat-"
"What was that gold thing?" she interrupted him. "I remember… Monika stabbed me with something."
Her friends gasped in surprise.
She continued, "I know that it was gold… Was that her Stand or something?"
"… No, that wasn't her Stand," Josuke began. "That was the Arrow. I think you would be able to describe it better, Okuyasu. After all, you know more about it since it was once in possession of your bro-"
Josuke flinched and stopped himself from continuing, immediately regretting the words he spoke. Okuyasu had a blank expression on his face before he shook his head.
"It's alright," he said quietly. "I'm basically over it. Plus, it's not like you were trying to rub it in or anything…"
The others looked at him, concerned. Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki correctly assumed that his brother had passed away based on his reactions.
"Anyway, the Arrow is a pretty weird thing," Okuyasu started with a more cheerful tone. "All it really does is it turns whoever is hit by it, and survives, into a Stand user. We weren't really sure where it came from, other than some old lady in Egypt."
Natsuki blinked for a moment before grinning widely. "D-Does this mean that I'll become a Stand user?"
"Uh, I don't think so…" Josuke said.
"Eh? How come? I got hit with it, didn't I? Didn't you guys see it?"
"Yeah… About that… You didn't exactly…"
"I didn't exactly what? I didn't get a Stand fast enough, or-? Oh… It's because that never really happened now or something, right?"
"Well, that, and you didn't exactly… survive…"
She froze. Her memory of what happened in the music room was quite limited. She remembered being stabbed in the chest then dragged into the music room and thrown against the piano. After that…
"O-Oh… Alright then."
The restaurant was quiet. It was a pretty slow day at Trussardi's so they were the only ones there. That was quite lucky of them since they were talking about some rather unsettling things which would seem like nonsense to an outsider.
After what seemed like a year, Yuri finally spoke.
"So… At some point… each one of us… died?" she muttered.
Sayori and Natsuki looked at her with an alarmed expression, unaware of Yuri's knife frenzy after the last club meeting.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Josuke announced.
They all turned to look at him.
"All of this… it was my fault."
"W-What? How is it your fault? You said it yourself, it's all Monika!" Sayori reassured him, trying to put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, I still could have been able to do something!" he snapped, making her reel back her hand. "You've seen what I could do with Crazy Diamond! I could have been able to save you all, but I was just… too… damn… late."
He covered his face with his hand and hunched over the table. Yuri had a determined look on her face.
"Josuke, it's alright," she said.
"Like hell it is! I failed to save you all… I failed to save my friends…"
"Well… you did save me, didn't you?"
"Not in the end, though."
"… Josuke, none of that even happened anymore. We're fine. Sayori is fine, Natsuki is fine, and I'm fine."
He looked up at the purple haired girl slowly.
"What you're doing right now, it's probably what Monika would have wanted."
Josuke blinked and raised an eyebrow.
"Your friends told me that you were seeing things, things that made you scared. That, mixed with what you're doing now, was all probably part of Monika's plan to get you to be with her."
"That sounds awful," Koichi muttered. "But it makes sense for someone related to Kira to do something so bad…"
Josuke rubbed his eyes. "You're… You're right, Yuri. Thanks."
She smiled at him nervously, as did everyone else.
"H-Hey, Josuke," Sayori spoke after some time, making him look at her.
"Yes?" he replied.
"We… We're not childhood friends, are we?"
Yuri and Natsuki looked alarmed as they turned to him in confirmation.
Josuke sighed, "Yes. That's true."
"… That's what I thought," the girl with a bow in her hair muttered. "But why? Why did I think that?"
"Rohan," Okuyasu stated with a scornful expression.
"What? Rohan? What did he do?" Natsuki asked.
"He used his Stand on you two to mess with Josuke."
Josuke and Sayori's eyes went wide.
"Why did he want to do that?" Yuri asked, quite surprised to hear this.
"Yeah! And what's his Stand do?" Natsuki added.
"Uh, I don't really remember, but I know he used Heaven's Door to make you guys believe that you were friends or something," Okuyasu responded.
"And his Stand…?" the pink-haired girl repeated, slightly agitated.
"Rohan's Heaven's Door is able to turn people into books, where he can read about their whole life as well as being able to rewrite things," answered Koichi, who shuddered in memory of his face opening up.
"Again… why?" Sayori asked, looking down at the table.
"He still blames me for burning down his house which makes no sense," Josuke said. "So I guess… this could also be considered to be his fault for all this."
Once they had all finished their meals, Koichi suggested that they meet up some other time since there was a lot to take in from just this one sitting.
"Y-Yukako...?" Yuri muttered as they were now standing outside of Trussardi's.
The female Stand user turned to face her friend.
"I-I'm sorry," the purple-haired girl continued. "I'm sorry that I pushed you away, that I pushed all of you away. While the past two weeks never happened, or whatever, I don't think that I will ever be able to forgive myself..."
She looked down as her eyes began to water. Noticing this, Yukako quickly scooped her up into a hug. Yuri gasped initially, but she soon relaxed and put her arms around her friend.
"I forgive you," the Stand user whispered. "Like Josuke said, that wasn't you. I would understand it if you ever needed some space, but... You're one of my only friends. I... I can't imagine a world where you aren't in it."
The two continued to hug for some time, both of them crying softly. Koichi smiled, seeing just how caring his girlfriend is for her friends. Eventually, they broke the hug and wiped their eyes.
Yukako then spoke softly, "So... I'll see you at lunch tomorrow?"
Yuri sniffled and smiled. "Y-Yes. I'd like that."
Then Okuyasu, Koichi and Yukako began to walk back to their homes after waving goodbye to the others.
"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow?" Josuke asked the three girls before him.
The four of them stood there in silence for a moment as the sun began to set. A moment later, Sayori gingerly approached him. Josuke looked at her, confused and slightly nervous.
Much to his surprise, she hugged him. He didn't know what to think or do at that moment. Seconds after, Natsuki and Yuri joined in the hug. His surprise only increased after that.
During the embrace, Sayori said, "You wanted the best for us..."
"You were always there to help us..." Natsuki added.
"A-And you were willing to listen and put up with us..." Yuri also added.
Then all three of the whispered, "Thank you, Josuke… for everything."
Josuke's body shuddered for a moment. A long overdue tear began to roll down his face. He returned the hug. For them, it felt like an eternity had passed during that hug as they each recalled the past two weeks that never were.
Eventually, they peeled themselves off of him one-by-one. They walked away from him a bit before they turned around to see him again.
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Maybe we can even start a new club of our own!" Sayori said smiling brightly.
"Heh. If we did that, you'd have to put in a LOT more effort! You think you're up for it?" Natsuki said smirking.
"I-I'd be willing to help out if all of you will, too," Yuri added smiling.
They then waved him goodbye as they turned around to go home. Josuke stood there for a second.
He then wiped his face and began to wave and shout back, "Y-Yeah! You guys can count on it! I'll be there!"
Josuke turned around and began to walk home, smiling to himself.
This is great.
"Hey, Police," Koichi greeted his dog as it was lying in its bed near the front door.
"Ah, Koichi, you're back!" his mother greeted him. "Someone called earlier. They asked for you. I wrote down the number next to the phone."
"Oh? Thanks."
He set down his bag and went over to the phone and dialed the number. He then went into the other room as it rang, unsure of who it was that called.
Finally, someone picked up and answered. "Yeah?"
"U-Um… This is Koichi Hirose. Who is this?" he asked nervously.
"Ah, Koichi. Good. It's Jotaro."
"J-JOTARO?! W-What's the problem?! Do you need help?!"
"Good grief, calm down. There's no problem, or at least none that concern you now."
"O-Oh, well… How can I help?"
"I need to know if I can trust you."
Koichi blinked. "H-Huh? Of course you can trust me. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"It's fine, Koichi. I just needed to know if I can trust you because the Speedwagon Foundation may have gotten a lead on an enemy Stand user."
"O-Oh. Wait, what does that have to do with me?"
"We might have to send you to look for them."
He gulped. The thought of going away to find a Stand user with an ability that he doesn't even know scared him. Although he was more worried about possibly missing school and getting behind in his classes.
Jotaro continued, "I'm sure you're worried, but they're not completely sure. They just found a clue, no evidence and no location. It may take a while before they even get a location."
Koichi sighed in relief.
"Okay? That's it. Goodbye."
"W-Wait, Jotaro! Don't hang up! I need to tell you something!"
Jotaro paused before hanging up. "I'm listening."
"Josuke, Okuyasu and I believe that we have encountered the half-sister of Yoshikage Kira."
Jotaro flinched. "… There aren't any records of anyone else that closely related to him. Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I'm positive! Josuke joined the Literature Club at school and he had a bunch of strange things happen to him, but it turns out it was all from Monika, who had the Arrow, and her Stand, Lana Del Rey, which could-"
"Stop. I believe that it would be best if I came back to investigate this in person."
"R-Really? How soon? A week?"
"No. Probably not for another year."
"A YEAR?!"
"Yeah. There's been a power outage at one of the Speedwagon Foundation's facilities. It was the one where they kept some rock under ultraviolet light. My grandfather claims to have fought this rock, but I believe that he's just going senile. I'm going over there to investigate that first."
"Oh… Well, good luck with that."
"Is that all, Koichi?"
"Uh… yeah."
"I see. Take care."
And then the line went dead, leaving Koichi alone with his thoughts of where he might be sent to find a Stand user.
… Maybe Italy would be a cool place to visit… That or France.
That night, Josuke was not able to sleep very peacefully. He had a rather bizarre dream…
Darkness.
There was nothing around him. He was alone in a void of pitch-black. He didn't know what to think or do. Josuke tried pinching himself to wake him up, but to no avail.
"Uh, can you hear me?" a voice asked, echoing all around.
Josuke looked around franticly. The voice was feminine and sounded oddly familiar to him.
"W-Who's there?!" he yelled while turning.
The voice seemed to clear her throat. "Hi! It's me."
Josuke blinked, genuinely having no idea who it could be.
"Um… So, you know how I've been, like, practicing piano, and stuff…? And not really any good at it yet. Like, at all. But… I wrote you a song."
He furrowed his brows before his eyes went wide.
"Monika…"
The voice continued, "And I was kind of hoping that I could show it to you…"
Then, Monika slowly began to fade into view with a piano next to her.
"You see, I worked really… REALLY hard on it," Monika said gently, idly playing a few keys. "So… yeah!"
Josuke gritted his teeth and curled his hands into fists. "You… Crazy Diamond!"
Nothing happened. Josuke blinked, wondering why his Stand wasn't appearing, while Monika just looked at him and smiled sweetly.
"Yeah, that won't work here…" she said calmly.
He looked back at her and yelled, "What did you do?! How are you here?!"
She giggled. "Oh, Josuke. How could I ever lie to you, my love?"
Josuke grimaced and shook his head. "'L-Love'?! I wouldn't go on a date with you if my life depended on it!"
Her smile faded for a moment, but it quickly returned when she spoke. "Ouch… Well… I'm sorry for what I did to you. All I wanted was to be with you, but… in the end… I only wanted you to be happy."
He raised an eyebrow. "For me to be happy? What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, Lana Del Rey rose from Monika's body. The Stand's menacing gaze piercing through Josuke. He flinched and took a step back, unsure of how to fight a Stand when he could not use his own.
Monika turned her head to see her Stand. "After I stabbed myself with the Arrow… Lana Del Rey got a new ability… Heh. What a coincidence that Yoshikage and I had the same thing happen to us. They're also kind of similar, our new abilities…"
Josuke eyes were wide in fear. "W-What ability did you get? Wait… You got a time rewind, too?!"
Memories of what Hayato had told him about Bites the Dust flooded his mind when he considered the similarities between that and what had just happened.
"Not quite," Monika sighed. "Lana Del Rey: Young and Beautiful appears to be a one-use ability, rewinding time much further at the cost of... After what you said to me, I thought that your life would be better without me… I just wanted you to restart, live your life without me, so that I hadn't done anything to anyone…"
She looked down and put a hand to her chest. "I never really used Lana Del Rey on anyone before I met you. I had always known that I had it, and I knew how it worked… But it never felt necessary, until recently."
Josuke looked at her with concern. "Monika…"
She then wiped her face and smiled brightly. "Anyway… Before I go, I'd like to show you my song!"
Monika sat down at the piano, Lana Del Rey fazing back into her. Josuke blinked and took a step closer.
"What's it called…?" he asked hesitantly.
"Oh! Um… It's called Your Reality," she stated, blushing as she played a few keys before beginning.
Monika then began to play. It was quite similar to what she played in the music room on that horrific Friday that never was. Josuke was finally able to listen to her play without being under the influence of her Stand. After a moment, she began to sing.
"~Every day, I imagine a future where I can be with you~"
"~In my hand is a pen that will write a poem of me and you~"
"~The ink flows down into a dark puddle~"
"~Just move your hand – write the way into his heart!~"
"~But in this world of infinite choices~"
"~What will it take just to find that special day?~"
"~What will it take just to find… that special day?~"
Monika had finally finished playing her song. She slowly turned around to face Josuke.
"So… What do you think?" she asked, blushing slightly.
Josuke stood there, speechless, for a moment. His mouth then slowly curled up into a smile.
"It's… great," he said plainly.
Monika smiled brightly while blushing profusely. Although, her smile slowly began to change from bright to incredibly pained. Tears began to form in Monika's eyes.
"Goodbye, Josuke… I'll always love you."
He looked at her, confused. Suddenly, the black void around them began to change into sheet music, much like Lana Del Rey's pattern. His eyes widened as he took a step back. Josuke cast one last glance at Monika, who just smiled and waved, tears rolling down her face.
The music notes began to move along the lines very quickly. Before he could react any further, the sheet music pattern began to implode on him.
"MONIKA!" Josuke screamed while sitting up, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He blinked and franticly looked around him. He was in his bed in his room. He hurriedly jumped out of bed ran to the kitchen. The radio was on, and it announced that it was Wednesday.
Wednesday…? That means…
Josuke looked up at the clock and saw it read 7:45. He slapped his hand against his head.
"I'm late!" he cried as he ran off to get himself ready for the day.
He was just combing his hair when he heard a loud knocking on his front door. He grabbed his bag and franticly made his way over to answer the door. When Josuke opened it, he saw his friends, Okuyasu and Sayori, standing there, idly chatting to one another. The boy had a faint amount of redness dusted across his cheeks as he spoke to her.
The two of them stopped and turned to face him.
"What took you so long, man?" Okuyasu asked. "You're the one who's usually up before me!"
Sayori looked concerned. "Are you okay, Josuke? You're not feeling down, are you?"
Josuke rubbed the back of his head. "N-No, I'm fine. Sorry, guys. I just had a pretty strange dream…"
"Well, you can talk about your dream later! We're actually going to be late this time!" Okuyasu interrupted him.
"Okuyasu…" the girl began. "It's not that bad. We're not that late."
Suddenly, the clock in Josuke's house began to chime, signifying that it was eight o'clock. They also faintly heard the school bell ring at the same time.
Sayori began to sweat nervously and said, "I, uh… I take it back. We ARE that late!"
Josuke began to chuckle lightly before slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Jeez… Well, let's go." he said.
The three of them then took off running towards the school.
Crazy Noisy Bizarre Club: End
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the Author's Note where stuff will be explained. Don't forget to leave a review!